Bangladesh’s largest steel production company BSRM Group has signed a partnership agreement with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) to support the ultra-poor women in rural areas, on Sunday, April 3rd at BSRM Group premises located in Mirsarai, Chittagong. Through this partnership, BSRM and UNDP will work together to provide livelihoods and life skills training to ultra-poor women under one of the UNDP project titled as Strengthening Women’s ability for Productive New Opportunities (SWAPNO).
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SWAPNO, a social transfer project that is being implemented by the Government of Bangladesh with financial and technical assistance of UNDP. This intervention will contribute directly to the state-of-the-art ‘graduation’ strategy as mentioned in the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) that aims at ensuring market-driven employment for the ultra-poor rural women. SWAPNO is being implemented in 124 Union Parishads of Kurigram and Satkhira, with 4464 ultra-poor women beneficiaries.
UNDP Bangladesh’s Deputy Country Director Nick Beresford and BSRM Group Chairman Alihussain Akberali, FCA, CIP signed the agreement on behalf their respective organizations.
‘Highly encouraged to have BSRM Group, a leading private sector, with UNDP in supporting SWAPNO which will set an exemplary role of private sector to contribute directly to vision of poverty free Bangladesh’ said Mr Nick Beresford.
BSRM Group Chairman emphasized the importance of private sector working together with development partners and Government of Bangladesh. ‘There is a role for everybody, working directly for the poorest households through SWAPNO, is one of the milestones of BSRM Group’s CSR initiative started in 2013’ said Mr Alihussain.
UNDP’s Assistant Country Director, Palash Kanti Das and BSRM Group Head of CSRPR & Communication Ruhi M. Ahmed, were also present at the signing ceremony.
About UNDP
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, they offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
